Government to create dedicated growth company for Cambridge to speed up development
A new dedicated growth company tasked with accelerating development in Cambridge has been announced by the government.
The move was revealed as the government confirmed its next steps towards the creation of a development corporation for the city, which is expected to be tasked with delivering 150,000 new homes by 2050.
The new company will be responsible for leading development through “large-scale land assembly, major infrastructure projects and ensuring maximum recovery including through planning contributions”. Its remit will also include unlocking development that has been held up on sites allocated in the current Local Plan.
The government also notes that the company will work with Whitehall departments on “key issues” such as “maximising the benefits of East West Rail”.
In a written statement, Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, said: “I have asked Peter Freeman, who is leading the government’s Cambridge Delivery Group, to establish a dedicated growth company for Cambridge as the next step towards a development corporation. As set out in the terms of reference, published today, the growth company will focus on establishing a strong Cambridge presence and brand, developing the evidence base and case for investment to support our long-term strategy, and enabling and accelerating existing developments in and around the city.
“A range of local partners, including local authority leaders and representatives of the academic, innovation and infrastructure sectors, will be invited to an advisory council to support the growth company.
“This government remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting and increasing the use of high-quality design for new-build homes and neighbourhoods.
“Ambitious development and growth should not come at the expense of this commitment.
“In Cambridge, the very best design principles will be used to enhance what is special about the city and to create a model for ambitious urban growth, based on connected city quarters, that reflects what communities want and demonstrates how new places can be equal to, and even better than, the old.”
The company will continue to be known as the Cambridge Delivery Group.
Mr Gove has caused consternation among local political leaders with his ambitious plans – put forward formally in the recent ‘Case for Cambridge’ document – to accelerate growth in the city without involving them first. Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council are already working on a Local Plan to deliver around 49,000 new homes by 2040, but have raised major concerns over water shortages in the region, which are holding up some current developments such as at Bourn Airfield.
The government’s latest statement pledged that Mr Freeman will invite a range of local partners, including “local leaders and representatives of the academic, innovation and infrastructure sectors, to join the new advisory council” of the growth company.
That is likely to raise questions over the many layers of decision-making bodies in Cambridgeshire, which already has a Combined Authority, county, district and city councils, plus the Greater Cambridge Partnership delivery body.
Under the sponsorship of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and Homes England, the growth company will also be charged with “developing the evidence base and case for investment to underpin and support development of its long-term growth strategy”.
It will report to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with regular contact points between DLUHC and Homes England.
But the government has acknowledged that “local organisations have a deep and longstanding knowledge of the issues the area faces, as well as plans that seek to address many of them” and the company is “committed to building on this local experience and complementing it”.
